


The Daily Grind

by Soaring_Ren (Robin_Knight)



Series: Coffee Shop AU [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8580445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_Knight/pseuds/Soaring_Ren
Summary: Lance would never have picked that coffee shop for lunch, but he would spend the rest of his life grateful that he did.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [charlion_em](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlion_em/gifts).



# Daily Grind

‘I’m sorry, Lance, but this isn’t acceptable.’

Shiro gave Lance a stern expression. The scar upon his nose was taut with his frown, a reminder of a past that he refused to discuss with his class, and his dark skin was pale with the seriousness of the discussion at hand. Lance kept his eyes locked upon Shiro’s clasped hands, which were held so close to his mouth that the prosthetic fingers touched his lips. It always disturbed him to see the plastic limb. He still hesitated when it came to shaking it.

The window behind Shiro opened up onto the courtyard; there was currently a drama-class interacting with the various trees and plants, which was an unbearable distraction, and – from one of the upper floors – Lance heard a music-class playing something to accompany the rehearsal below. Shiro gave a low sigh and followed his gaze. A few moments later, the window were shut with a loud slam and locked in place with deft fingers. Shiro leaned back against his desk, where the computer was virtually hidden with piles of papers.

‘It says here you were in a fight with Keith?’

‘It wasn’t a fight,’ said Lance. ‘Like, Hunk totally held me back! I barely got a punch at the guy, plus Pidge was there and everyone made up and yadda-yadda-yadda. It’s all good, right? Why isn’t Keith being pulled up into your office? He was the one that started this thing. You don’t just ditch and bail on a friend when they need you most, you –’

‘Trust me, Lance, Keith is being put on disciplinary probation, too.’ Shiro’s expression softened, as he pushed back the lock of white hair. ‘I just need you to both be aware that you’re here on an academic scholarship, if this keeps up -? You could lose your place. Keith already took a year out for personal reasons, and he might not get a chance to continue his education next time, and as for you -? It’s a zero-tolerance policy on violence.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I get it, Shiro. I need to buck up and fly straight.’

‘Do you get it? This is your last warning, Lance.’

Lance chanced a glance to the computer screen. It was an old monitor, so old that it was actually a ‘box’-shape with a screen that flickered something chronic, and he could barely make out the text on the screen while the light shone from behind Shiro. The grades weren’t exactly comparable to Pidge or Keith, but they were good enough to guarantee him a place at graduation in a few months, providing he wasn’t expelled before he could take final exams. Lance gave a pout and slumped his shoulders, as he gave a short shrug in resignation.

‘Promise me that you’ll think about your future here,’ pleaded Shiro.

There was a long moment of silence between them, until the lecture hall nearby let out, and soon Lance could hear an array of sounds from laughter to complaints. The fact was that this was his last chance. Lance ran a hand through his short hair and scratched at his neck, before he looked across to Shiro and forced a nervous smile. There was an equally awkward smile on Shiro’s face, as he leaned across the table and placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

‘Make me proud, Lance. I believe in you.’

‘Thanks, Shiro, I will do.’

* * *

The coffee shop was pretty quiet.

Lance purposely chose a seat at the far back; Pidge sat opposite as she scrolled through her phone for further revision, while Hunk sat between them with a slice of cake to distract himself, and – as they talked between themselves – Lance noticed that the place was pretty different to their usual haunt. This shop was . . . _classy_. It was the kind of shop that Keith would want to visit, all while making comments about how Shiro would love it, and Lance felt a bitter resentment at that alone. He looked around with a slight pout.

The tables were all made from expensive wood, while the ‘booths’ were separated by walls with wooden lattices on top, and all around were fresh flowers and various types of plants, which seemed to give the place a ‘cosy’ kind of aura. Lance glanced to the counter, where a beautiful woman wiped at the counter with a clean cloth. The cabinets beside her seemed to stretch out for miles, filled with homemade cakes and biscuits and muffins.

Lance had to admit that they were a temptation. The only problem was that they cost more than he could justify, especially when he earned a bare minimum working as an intern in the university science labs, and a small part of him felt too ashamed to mention that fact in front of his friends. He knew they wouldn’t judge him for not being able to afford nearly eight dollars on a slice of cake, but he hated the idea of preventing them from enjoying their favourite places just because of his low budget. He sighed into his complementary water.

“Not hungry today, Lance?” Pidge asked.

“Nah, I’m too steamed at Keith to eat a bite,” lied Lance. “How’s your pie, Pidge? It looks like you guys are really enjoying your food. I didn’t think this was your kind of place, though, like didn’t you _just_ complain that you needed to lose weight, Hunk? I’m sure I heard a certain someone complaining that he got out of breath running to class.”

“Hey, I’ve been on a diet all week! This is my reward.” Hunk slapped his stomach with a laugh. “Seriously, though, Keith was saying that Shiro held his study group in this place and that the food was _awesome_. I was practically drooling just listening to him.”

“Are you sure you weren’t just drooling over him?” Pidge teased.

“Hey, me and Shay are going pretty strong, _thank you_.”

Lance laughed into his water, as he nudged Hunk in his side. The larger man gave a bright grin, that made his chubby cheeks seem all the brighter, and his eyes softened with a great deal of affection, and – as if there could ever be any doubt – it was beyond obvious he loved Shay more than anything he could express. Pidge glanced up from over her glasses, before she rolled her eyes and plugged in her earphones to distract from the ‘mushy faces’.

Lance sipped at his water and looked around the shop, while Hunk began to talk incessantly about his latest date with Shay, and – as his eyes moved about the building – he caught sight of a man entering the shop floor through a ‘staff only’ door. The man was tall and wearing a uniform much like the woman by the counter, only his was mostly blue and so form-fitting that it was clear he kept his shape despite being late thirties or early forties. Lance noticed he had red hair and bright eyes, along with a moustache that looked oddly good.

It was only when the man turned – tea-towel over one arm and a bag of coffee beans over the other – that Lance realised he had stared in an obvious manner. He blushed and slid down into his chair, as he pulled his glass up to his lips and tried to hide his face out of sight, but he couldn’t help except to send subtle glances as the man ran over to table close to them and quickly mopped up a mess left by another customer. Lance swallowed hard and asked Pidge:

“So we’re here as _Keith_ recommended the place?”

Pidge sighed and reached out for her fork. The slice of pie looked absolutely perfect, much like Hunk’s cake, and he felt his mouth begin water just watching her take a bite, and – as she glanced up over her phone – she caught him staring and rolled her eyes. Pidge pushed her plate closer to him, but he simply raised his hand to gesture that everything was okay, and her only response was to shrug as she pulled it back over to her side of the table. He immediately regretted his decision, as he noticed that it smelled exactly like his grandmother’s desserts.

“You might like it, if you give it a chance,” said Pidge.

“Er, I ate loads before I came out,” muttered Lance, as his hand unconsciously moved to his jean pocket. “Besides, coffee is overrated anyway. I mean, who needs that rich and creamy taste, or the warm stomach, or the way that the froth on top always makes awesome patterns and stuff? Okay, fine, I give in! I guess I could get a small something?”

“Or –” said a new voice “– you could get a large _latte macchiato_? On the house?”

Lance felt a blush creep over his cheeks. The accent sounded maybe British or Australian, something oddly refined and yet also a little crass, and it was a perfect combination that sent shivers down to places that he’d rather be shiver-free in public. He looked up to see the man from before now wearing an apron around his waist, holding a glass that looked more expensive than every cup Lance owned combined, and his half-smile made his moustache rustle in a rather cute manner. Lance glanced to his nametag and saw ‘Coran’.

“I – er – well – how much do I owe you?”

“Oh, not a penny, my friend!” Coran gave a wink. “You know, it’s awfully funny, but the chap who made the order never showed up. I couldn’t let such a fine cup of coffee go to waste, so I thought ‘wait a tic, why not give it to that handsome fellow there who’s in blatant need of a pick-me-up’! You’d be doing me a favour, honestly. Drink up, lad!”

“N-No, I don’t mind paying, really.” Lance began to fidget around for his wallet. “It looks really good, plus you even made the froth into one of those cool patterns and everything, it wouldn’t be right to just take it without giving you something back.”

“The customer’s satisfaction is payment enough, Mr -?”

“L-Lance. My name’s Lance.”

Lance felt like the ground might swallow him whole. Hunk was grinning at him from over his chocolate cake, while Pidge was pretending a little _too_ innocently that the pumpkin pie was her main focus, and meanwhile this man – Coran – wouldn’t take his eyes away from Lance the whole time he spoke to them. He simply placed the glass down onto a matching saucer, with a small jug of milk and pot of sugar. Lance suddenly realised that this place was far fancier than the chain shops with their paper packets of sugar, and he felt out of place.

“Well, nice to meet you, Lance,” said Coran. “You enjoy that now.”

Coran patted him on the shoulder, before he gave a lingering squeeze. There was no real way to process the gesture, especially as – despite all of Lance’s flirting through the years – hardly anyone ever reciprocated his feelings for him to know how to act, and he couldn’t help except to turn fully around in his seat and watch as Coran headed over to the counter. There was a small scoff from Pidge, who kicked him under the table to get his attention and muttered:

“Well, looks like someone came out the closet at the right time.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Lance asked.

“Just that it’s a good job you _finally_ worked out the whole bisexual thing,” said Hunk. “I mean, that guy’s a bit older than I’d suspect you’d go for, but he seems friendly and he’s kind of cute in a Nigel Thornberry kind of way, too. Free coffee? He’s into you.”

Lance looked down at the coffee, where the froth and brown bits made a pattern of an actual ship, and he tried to surreptitiously pull the glass closer to him before Pidge could see and make some sort of joke. He brought it to his lips and took a sip. It was beyond delicious, possibly even worth the insanely steep cost, and he wondered whether he could afford to make coming back a regular occurrence, just to get to know one coffee-maker that probably flirted with every customer that came his way. Still, he did feel a lot better all of a sudden.

“He wouldn’t be interested in a kid like me,” muttered Lance.

“A college graduate with a cute face? Sure.”

Lance blushed and sipped his coffee.

* * *

Lance stood patiently at the counter.

He was down to his last ten dollars for the week; it was clenched in his closed fist with a surprising strength, as the paper left crinkles upon the skin of his palm, and – even with his forearm rested against the wooden surface – he still felt conflicted. The coffee was freshly ground, as Allura walked by and made a joke about the ‘daily grind’, and Coran came out several times with freshly baked iced buns, which he claimed were a ‘British treat’.

Lance again wished he had dressed up beyond just a white t-shirt and green jacket, as the figure-hugging uniforms both looked so pristine and so perfect, and he had to swallow hard to fight back his nervousness every time his eyes strayed down Coran’s outfit. He eventually looked up to see a familiar face before him: Coran. The older man gave a wink, as he wiped his hands on a tidy dishcloth, and soon covered his hands with white gloves that matched his clothing in an absolutely perfect manner. Lance coughed to clear his throat.

“So I thought I’d come back,” chirped Lance.

“Well, repeat business is always a joy,” said Coran. “I’d be more worried if you _didn’t_ want to come back, as then I’d have to take it personally! You wouldn’t do that to poor old Coran the Coranista, would you?” Coran paused. “Get it? Like ‘Coranista’ and ‘barista’?”

Lance smiled despite himself, even if the pun made him cringe. It felt good to see someone with as equally a wacky kind of humour, especially someone who seemed to hide something deeper behind every smile, and Lance felt an urge to get to know him all the more, because he knew all too well what it was like to hide behind a façade. The shop was still in the process of opening up, so the shop was empty aside from the three of them, and he could practically feel Allura listening to his every word with a blatant smirk.

“Yeah, that’s funny,” said Lance. “Er, listen, I wondered if I could get an espresso?”

“You sure can! Oh, and today we’ve brought in a student discount, too.”

“Huh, really?” Lance furrowed his brow. “That’s cool.”

The expression of Coran’s face was very gentle, with the smile hidden behind that bushy moustache, and his purple eyes were wide with warmth. It was difficult to ‘play it cool’ when the student discount made such a massive difference to him; even if it was just five-percent off, it might be the difference between one coffee for the day and an actual sandwich from the college cafeteria at lunch. The last thing he wanted was to make a big deal, as Coran would realise that he was struggling to make ends meet and pity him.

Coran made to make the coffee, but Lance – in a momentary panic of losing the older man’s attention – spun around in an awkward manner and shot out his hand to grab onto Coran’s wrist with a firm hold. There was a furrow to Coran’s brow, but the expression was one of curiosity and not of offence. Lance let go right away, realising that he was acting far from smooth compared to how his usual flirtations went, and decided to just be direct:

“You want to have a coffee with me? My treat.”

There was a sudden hum from Allura, who sang some tune from their native home, and she busied herself in such a way that it was clearly for show, and – in a moment of absolute humiliation – he feared maybe the two of them were a couple. He raised his hands behind his head and clasped his hands together, as he tried to laugh the question off and turned to look out of the shop window with a feigned indifference. Shiro walked by in the direction of the college, when Lance spotted Keith running after him and suddenly he found determination.

“I – er – don’t want to drink alone,” said Lance.

“Well, if I join you, I could tweak the cost just a little.” Coran raised a gloved finger to his lips as if in deep contemplation. “After all, a student discount is worth fifty-percent off, so if we apply the staff discount of fifty-percent then we get a total of around –”

“Free coffee? Isn’t that a bit much to give a hundred-percent off?”

“Ah, I meant to take the other fifty from the remainder . . .”

There was a laugh from Allura, who came over and slid a plate of ‘complementary’ cake across the counter, and – as she looked to Coran with an amused, yet accusatory, stare – Coran blushed such a dark shade of red that Lance almost worried about him. Lance couldn’t help except to feel humiliated himself, especially as he had assumed Coran meant to give him free coffee, and instead he felt more of a leech than a flirt. Coran gave a nervous cough.

“I think coffee on the house is only fair,” said Coran. “After all, I get the pleasure of your company. I guess you _probably_ have classes sometime this morning, so it may have to just a quickie, but I wouldn’t mind sharing a coffee with you after classes. Well, that’s if you don’t mind spending time with an old bore like me, eh? I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance.”

Lance felt a searing wave of relief, as he said:

“Nah, you could never be a nuisance.”

* * *

Lance jumped up onto the counter.

There was an eye-roll from Allura across the room, but otherwise little other response from her that morning. It would only be a few weeks until graduation, while Lance had a ticket burning a whole in his pocket for a certain someone, and he also knew that gowns and parties and so forth cost money. He wanted to make a good impression on Coran, but hand-me-down gowns and takeout after just didn’t really scream ‘boyfriend material’, as such he knew that it was time to pick up an extra job and apply his work ethic to the workplace.

Lance leaned back on his elbows, as his back arched and neck exposed itself, and – as he looked at Coran upside-down – the older man rolled his eyes and stood over Lance with hands upon his hips. It was always kind of hot when he tried to look authoritarian. Coran grabbed a tea-towel from a nearby rack and began to swat at Lance, who was forced onto his feet and then thrown the towel with a point to the counter, and he wiped up with obedience.

It was probably a mistake to want to mix business with pleasure, but the idea of opening up with Coran or closing down with Coran -? Well, it felt good to have an excuse to spend more time with him alone. They spent a lot of lunch-breaks together doing odd chores or telling old stories, so much so that Lance was practically working there already, and he absolutely adored finding out more about Allura and Coran, especially as every story brought him closer to knowing Coran as a person and his past. He could listen to his voice all day.

“So can I get that part-time job?” Lance asked.

There was a long sigh from Coran, who glanced across the coffee shop. Lance heard the familiar tinkle to the bell above the door, before he spotted an unconventionally attractive man enter, and he felt a spark of jealousy until he saw that Coran looked somewhat suspicious about the newcomer. They had a head of dyed purple hair, with their left arm missing and replaced with a prosthetic not unlike Shiro’s, and he appeared to be missing an eye, too. Lance automatically stepped in front of Coran and clenched his fists.

“Hey, who’s that guy?” Lance asked. “Want me to say something?”

“No, that’s actually Sendak, our new part-timer,” said Coran. “He makes an _amazing_ cup of coffee, but he’s also surprisingly very much a people person . . . well . . . I suspect _most_ of it is an act, but it’s a very good one and customers love him. I know our Allura can’t stand his complaints when they leave, but he’s always good to the customers.”

Lance tried to hide his disappointment. He felt his shoulder slump, as he shoved his hands into his pockets and gave a small pout, but he knew it was only fair that Coran fill the position with the most experienced applicant. The intimidating man was being handed an apron by Allura, who appeared to be just as wary of him as Lance, but he nodded to her politely and automatically began to bus tables and take orders. He seemed a decent choice.

“Oh,” said Lance. “Well, I still get to see you, right?”

“I sure hope so!” Coran beamed brightly, as he asked: “We have a date tonight, yes? Hmm, I will say that two part-time staff does work out considerably cheaper than one full-time employee, and we are somewhat overworked . . . why don’t we make our date a celebration, eh, Lance? I’m sure we have plenty of room for you to work, too.”

The look on Coran’s face was one of absolute seriousness, and Lance – despite all attempts at maturity – jumped across the counter and hugged Coran. There was a flustered and frustrated splutter from Coran, who complained about shoes on the counter, but he ultimately gave up his panicked attempts at cleaning for simply holding Lance in turn. Those hands around his waist felt a great reassurance, while Lance loved how strong and muscular Coran felt beneath his uniform, as his one hand gripped his shoulder and the other buried itself in orange hair.

“Thanks, Coran,” said Lance with teary-eyes.

* * *

“I saw Keith and Shiro in here yesterday,” whispered Lance.

He shoved the paper pad into his pocket; the apron was tied around his waist, although it was still difficult to get used to the sensation of something always in his way, but he admitted he loved the concession Coran made in allowing the staff to pick their own colours. Lance wore a blue apron to match the accents of his outfit, while Sendak always seemed to gravitate to purple, and – while Allura chose pink – Coran also wore a blue that complemented Lance’s outfit in a way that always made him blush to think about.

Lance rested one hand on his hip, while the other braced his weight on the table. There was an eye-roll from Hunk, who sat back with his chair on two legs, while Pidge sat opposite him with her laptop open before her, as she took full advantage of the free wireless. The two of them had full cups of coffee, although they still waited upon their food, and Lance – as the order weighted down his pocket – continued to put off the inevitable.

“Here we go again,” muttered Hunk.

There was a short scoff from Pidge, as she took a sip of her coffee. Lance gave a long-suffered sigh, as he predicted the inevitably mockery for his belief, and placed the short pencil behind his ear to keep it safe from being lost. He pulled an extra chair over and turned it around, so he could sit astride it and lean upon its back, and – with a loud complaint from Hunk – he took a sip of his friend’s drink and placed it back upon its saucer. There were a few low hums of consideration from Pidge, as she typed with rapid speed.

“I’m just saying,” said Lance, “doesn’t it seem . . . you know?”

“It’s college,” replied Hunk. “Like, you should see the Humanities department! Shay’s teacher even went drinking with the older students, plus a lot of teachers do study sessions in cafes and stuff, especially at weekends and things. You read _way_ too much into stuff.”

“Actually, Lance has a point.” Pidge shrugged and said: “You know how Shiro took a year off from work, don’t you? Well, my brother has a room opposite Keith, and he saw Shiro go into Keith’s room in one set of clothes and leave his room the next day in another set of clothes, and didn’t you notice how Keith also dropped out for a year right as Shiro was gone? I don’t know, Hunk, it seems really suspicious to me. I think Lance is right.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you two better be sure, because if this gets around -? Whew, boy! Shiro will get _fired_ and Keith won’t be allowed to carry on with his masters, as – you know – he’ll be _expelled_. We all just graduated, so we can we stop with the gossip and things? Besides, it not like you two have never dated older guys before, am I right?”

“Hey, there’s a bonus with older guys,” teased Lance with a wink. “They always know _exactly_ what buttons to push in all the best of ways! Anyway, my boyfriend isn’t my teacher, so there’s – you know – the whole _legality_ side of things on my side, too.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll believe it when I see it. Aren’t you working, anyway?”

Lance made to take a sip of Hunk’s coffee, but the other man – too aware of his friend’s bad habits – quickly swept it away with a brush of his hand, and so Lance was left to reach out for Pidge’s instead. The young woman apparently had the reflexes of a cat and a mouth filled with asbestos, as she grabbed the cup and downed the scalding contents with a few gulps, until both men were forced to stare at her with absolute wonder, as she smacked her lips with an appreciative sigh. Lance leaned on the back of the chair with a pout.

“It’s cool, I’m on my break,” said Lance.

There came a loud cough from behind Lance. It caused him to flinch; not out of fear, but the shame at having disappointed the man he was growing to love, and – as he turned to face Coran – he saw that the older man wore a strange smile. He stood with arms folded across his chest, while his smile quirked up at one corner in an odd way, and his eyes looked down to Lance with a sort of amusement that Lance rarely saw in the workplace itself.

Lance stood to his feet and brushed his apron free from creases, as he looked back to his friends to judge their reaction to events. They seemed extremely amused by his awkwardness, with Hunk trying to stifle a laugh and Pidge outright laughing at him, and he half-suspected that he heard the click of a camera and knew he would be on social media in a matter of seconds. He made a mental note to get revenge later, as he glared over at them, before he turned back to Coran and tried to beam the most innocent expression he could manage.

“Your break ended ten minutes ago, I believe,” said Coran.

Lance gave a smile and ran back to the counter.

* * *

Coran gave a large and long yawn.

It was almost cheesy how his arm came around Lance, but it was also a reminder of how much the small intimacies meant to the older man. Lance smiled and leaned into him, so that his head rested upon his shoulder, and raised his arms up so he could hold onto Coran’s hands with his both in turn. There was something nice about being snuggled up under the covers, especially as it had been a particularly long day at work, and Lance appreciated every second.

There was no television in Coran’s room, which only added to the intimacy, as it meant that the open windows allowed in a great deal of moonlight and starlight, which made Coran’s skin seem almost silver and his chest hair all the darker. Lance breathed in deep the scent of the previous intimacy, before he placed a kiss to his partner’s collarbone and gave a long hum of contentment. Coran’s apartment was only a ten-minute walk from the coffee shop, while close enough from Lance’s new apartment that it was almost _their_ apartment.

Lance couldn’t remember when he last went home.

The apartment was split three-ways with Pidge and Hunk, at least since graduation, and he was certain that – soon enough – Shay would be taking his place to pay for the rest of the rent, as he was fairly certain his moving in with Coran would be official. He loved how Coran teased him each morning for his overnight facial mask, despite the silly ‘moustache cage’ Coran wore to keep the facial fur in place, and he loved how they bickered over breakfast and how sometimes the bickering turned into playful food-fights. It felt like . . . home.

“Dare I ask how the job search is going?” Coran asked.

Lance gave a low groan, as he climbed astride Coran. It would be easy enough to distract him, but they learned a long time ago that it was better to resolve any issue than to avoid the issue, and so he reached down and began to massage his partner’s chest. The intimacy felt good between them, as Lance relished in how he could feel Coran’s heartbeat and every breath, and he wanted nothing more than to reach down and kiss him again.

“Not too well,” said Lance. “Looks like you have me for a bit longer.”

“Ah, I don’t mind that, lad. You can join me for the daily grind!”

Lance laughed and reached down to kiss the tip of his nose.

“Your puns will be the death of me, Mr Coranista.”

Coran laughed back, as he kissed Lance in turn . . . one kiss became a dozen, until every inch of skin felt honoured and given a great deal of affection, and the night passed by in a blur that left both men aching the following morning, and yet – as Lance fell asleep with his head over Coran’s heart – he knew there was nowhere else he would rather be in the world. He never thought he would find love with a man, but it was the most pleasant surprise of his life.

He would always be grateful that Hunk’s coffee addiction led him to Coran.

 


End file.
